Heat doubters leave early, miss OT finish

Spoelstra respond's to reporter's question about Wade not being on the line up for Game 6 against the Spurs.

Spoelstra respond's to reporter's question about Wade not being on the line up for Game 6 against the Spurs.

Christy Cabrera ChirinosSun Sentinel

South Florida is known for great beaches, warm weather, and lots of beautiful people.

But when it comes to sports, our fans have a bad rap. Local teams are used to playing in near half-empty stadiums and arenas if they aren't winning, and even the defending NBA champion Miami Heat have gotten used to starting games with late-arriving fans still not in their seats at tip-off.

But Tuesday night, South Florida sports fans may have hit a new low that probably won't help our reputation as fair-weather fans.

With the San Antonio Spurs holding a five-point lead and the clock running down on what could have been the final minute of the Heat's season, hundreds of Heat fans began heading for the exits at the AmericanAirlines Arena.

What they—and the arena security officials that were preparing for the Spurs' on-court championship trophy presentation—didn't know was that LeBron James and Ray Allen were going to hit a pair of improbable 3-pointers that would force overtime, and eventually, help Miami clinch a 103-100 win over San Antonio in Game 6 of the NBA Finals.

The Heat's comeback forces a deciding Game 7 on Thursday night, and already, some fans say if they're fortunate enough to be in the building, they won't be leaving early.

"I feel so bad. I thought it was over," said Marcella Tabora, who left the game early with her husband, Tyson and the couple's young daughter. "We have a long drive to West Palm Beach, so I said 'Let's go.' We were walking [outside] and he checked his phone and saw it was 95-95, so we came back. But they said we couldn't go back inside."

The Taboras weren't the only ones hoping to get back inside the AmericanAirlines Arena after the Heat rallied.

According to media reports, fans were banging on the doors, begging to be let back inside. Eventually, police officers were called in to try and help diffuse the situation.

The Taboras and several other fans tried to make the best of their tough decision.

Several fans spent the game's final minutes pressed against the arena's glass doors, watching a television inside the Heat team store, which faces Biscayne Boulevard.

And the Heat players, for their part, said seeing arena officials prepare for the Spurs' potential trophy presentation provided a little bit of extra fuel in the final minutes.

"We [saw] the championship board already out there, the yellow tape and you know, that's why you play the game to the final buzzer," said James, who finished with a game-high 32 points. "That's what we did tonight. We gave it everything that we had and more and to come out with a win like that, it makes it even greater when you're able to, I guess, just will everything that you have as individuals for a team and have a game like this."